That, at least, was what he expressed during a panel at the 2015 DICE Summit. Discussing annualizes sequels, he revealed that the marketing team at Sony’s gaming division has, in the past, been a bit pushy when it comes to annualized sequels. Raising the examples of Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty, he indicated that the marketing teams have sometimes pushed for Sony’s development studios to release games more quickly and more deeply sequelize its franchises, something that Yoshida claimed he “hates.”

Speaking further about the PlayStation brand, Yoshida revealed that Sony had originally considered dubbing its game divison “Sony Game Entertainment.” He stated that the company opted to going with Sony Computer Entertainment because the higher-ups felt that the word “Computer” would make it easier to market the PlayStation to adult audiences.

This weekend at Sony’s PlayStation experience in Las Vegas, developer Naughty Dog showed off the first extended look at Uncharted 4 gameplay. The video above features series protagonist Nathan Drake climbing, jumping, and shooting his way through some exotic locales. it also shows off some new additions to the series, like a grappling hook and a climbing spike.

Oh sure, it’s fun to play and provides a solid shooter experience. Intercept is a four-player co-op title that fits nicely into Killzone’s setting, and has a few unique twists outside of the usual horde wave mechanics other games have taken.

The trouble is, calling Intercept a standalone expansion pack feels misleading given the small amount of content it actually provides.

I keep thinking back to 15 years ago, when I played the original Unreal Tournament demo. It included five gameplay modes and several robust maps that kept me busy for hours. Intercept, on the other hand, consists of a third of the content included in the Killzone: Shadow Fall Season Pass, but charges full price for it. The goal behind Intercept was to repackage Shadow Fall’s co-op expansion as a standalone title, but with only four small maps to its name, the overall experience is definitely lacking.

Intercept repackages Shadow Fall’s co-op expansion into a standalone game on the PSN storefront. In each match, four players must work together to defend their location from incoming Helghast forces, protecting three uplink checkpoints and a central spawning base. As the match progresses, boss characters from the Shadow Fall campaign will appear to make things more challenging, while special items like turrets, jetpacks, and mortar strikes can be unlocked for the player team.

Unlike traditional horde-based survival games, Killzone’s co-op mode isn’t about surviving a fixed number of waves. Instead, players strive to earn a number of points determined by game type: 1,500 for Quick Games, 3,000 for Regular, and 10,000 for Long. Each player earns points from killing enemies, recapturing uplinks, or otherwise assisting teammates, and then needs to survive long enough to deposit them at the central base’s bank.

The idea of depositing points is an interesting one, and not just because of the tension it adds if you’re shot down while carrying a surplus. These points aren’t just used to mark victory, they are also the currency needed to purchase player respawns. If a teammate dies, and there aren’t enough banked points to respawn, the rest of the group is out of luck until they earn enough to buy him back. Of course, that also creates Intercept’s natural fail state; once it’s impossible for any players to respawn, the Helghast have won and you’ll need to start from the beginning.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/killzone-shadow-fall-intercept-review-a-twenty-dollar-demo/feed/0Watch Sony Live Streaming Gamescom 2014 Press Conferencehttp://www.gamefront.com/watch-sony-live-streaming-gamescom-2014-press-conference/
http://www.gamefront.com/watch-sony-live-streaming-gamescom-2014-press-conference/#commentsTue, 12 Aug 2014 14:07:22 +0000Janelle Bonannohttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=281332Gamescom might not officially begin until tomorrow, but Sony has a few announcements they would like to reveal today. Following...

]]>Gamescom might not officially begin until tomorrow, but Sony has a few announcements they would like to reveal today.

Following right behind Microsoft’s morning press conference, Sony is all set to release some big news and announcements with a full-scale press conference today at 1 PM EST / 10 AM PST. Sony hasn’t announced what they will be featuring during today’s press event, but we expect to leaarn more about The Order 1886 and hopefully see more of Bloodborne and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Not attending Gamescom? Don’t worry! We have you covered with the live stream of the Microsoft event below.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/watch-sony-live-streaming-gamescom-2014-press-conference/feed/0Playstation 4 Gets 3D Blu-Ray Support Next Weekhttp://www.gamefront.com/playstation-4-gets-3d-blu-ray-support-next-week/
http://www.gamefront.com/playstation-4-gets-3d-blu-ray-support-next-week/#commentsThu, 24 Jul 2014 16:59:45 +0000Jeff Millshttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=279856Sony announced today that 3D Blu-Ray support will arrive on the PlayStation 4. This news arrives just a few days...

Sony announced today that 3D Blu-Ray support will arrive on the PlayStation 4. This news arrives just a few days after Microsoft announced the same thing for their XBox One. Was this a coincidence that both systems will be updated with the added support or is it more of a “Hey, me too!” move by Sony? Who the heck knows. Both companies enjoy trying to one up one another. At least it’s added features that benefits users with a compatible setup.

The added support of the format will be included with the 1.75 firmware update due to arrive next week and XBox One’s will arrive in August along with several other features such as UI improvements for your friends list and making remote purchases in the store via your phone.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/playstation-4-gets-3d-blu-ray-support-next-week/feed/3How to Use a PS4 Controller Wirelessly on a PS3http://www.gamefront.com/how-to-use-a-ps4-controller-wirelessly-on-a-ps3/
http://www.gamefront.com/how-to-use-a-ps4-controller-wirelessly-on-a-ps3/#commentsTue, 01 Jul 2014 21:38:43 +0000Jeff Millshttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=278199Playstation users know already that you can use a PS4 controller on your PS3 but only if it was plugged...

Playstation users know already that you can use a PS4 controller on your PS3 but only if it was plugged in via a USB connection to the console.

Well, it seems that one of the updates that recently applied to the Playstation has allowed the ability for your PS4 controller to be used wirelessly on your Playstation 3. Discovered on Reddit, many functions such as the PS button, vibrate and sixaxis still do not work properly, as the PS3 doesn’t technically detect it as a Sony controller. But it appears using it just as a normal controller without the added functionality works just fine.

If you’re not a fan of watching videos like the one above, the steps are as follows.

Connect DS4 with wire to PS3 then turn on.

Go to Accessory settings.

Select Manage Bluetooth Devices, and start scanning for device.

Unplug DS4

While scanning hold the PS & Share buttons on the DS4.

When the light flashes quickly on DS4 plug back in and select Wireless Controller.

Let registration complete and then unplug.

Reports about it working have been random. For some it works just fine, others not so much. Still, if you’re keen on using your new PS4 controller to play on your PS3, it’s worth a shot.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/how-to-use-a-ps4-controller-wirelessly-on-a-ps3/feed/0PS4 Worldwide Sales Break 7 Million Unitshttp://www.gamefront.com/ps4-sales-break-7-million-worldwide/
http://www.gamefront.com/ps4-sales-break-7-million-worldwide/#commentsThu, 17 Apr 2014 03:51:32 +0000Stew Shearerhttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=270813Sony has sold more than 7 million PS4s to consumers around the world. The new sales figures were revealed by...

The new sales figures were revealed by Sony in a release that discussed the console’s progress since its launch late last year.

“The response from the global gaming community for PS4 has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice,” said Andrew House, group CEO and president of Sony Computer Entertainment. “Although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage.”

In addition to sales of the PS4 itself, Sony made a point of highlighting the success of the console’s software library. According to the company, more than 20.5 million PS4 games have been sold at retail and via digital download. It also affirmed that PS4 players could expect the around 120 new games to launch over the duration of 2014.

The console’s owners have apparently also been making frequent use of its Share functionality, with PS4 owners apparently uploading more than 135 million shares since the system first launched. The console has also played host to nearly 5 million Twitch and Ustream broadcasts, as well as 90 million spectate sessions.

What all of this essentially adds up to, of course, is that the PS4 is doing well and that its owners are enjoying its features. The big question remaining, however, is how long it can keep its momentum up going forward.

Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR will be good for Sony’s own VR efforts.

That, at least, was the sentiment expressed by Shuhei Yoshida, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios. Speaking recently about the subject, Yoshida described Facebook’s recent $2 billion deal as a valuable validation for both Oculus’s and Sony’s VR efforts.

“I woke up that morning and saw the announcement,” said Yoshida. “We meant to validate Oculus by announcing Morpheus, and the Oculus guys knew what we were working on. I think they were waiting for us to make the announcement, so it would be Sony and Oculus together. But now Oculus being acquired by Facebook is helping to validate our efforts.”

Yoshida would go on to describe Sony’s work with its Morpheus VR headset, originally announced last month at GDC, as one that will depend in part on cooperation with a variety of parties outside the company.

“We need to share knowledge,” he said. “We can’t just make the hardware; it’s the game applications that need to be designed well. We need time for developers to experiment and find the killer application and, at the same time, we need to learn how VR applications should be designed.” The initial step, Yoshida affirmed, will be the delivery of Morpheus dev kits to interested developers.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/sony-boss-facebooks-oculus-deal-validates-vr/feed/0Infamous: Second Son Review – Unfortunate Sonhttp://www.gamefront.com/infamous-second-son-review-unfortunate-son/
http://www.gamefront.com/infamous-second-son-review-unfortunate-son/#commentsThu, 20 Mar 2014 14:05:43 +0000Mitchell Saltzmanhttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=267468Second Son sure looks the part of a next gen Infamous, but does the gameplay match up to the visual spectacle?

I love a good power trip, which is why I love open world super powered sandbox games. I love leaping off of skyscrapers, crashing down into a crowd of enemies, and then booting the survivors like they were a football on fourth down.

Back in 2009, few games scratched that particular itch as well as Infamous did. Playing as Cole McGrath made you feel like an absolute badass regardless of whether you decided to use his powers for good or for evil — unless, of course, you decided to use the melee combat, and thus felt like a six-year-old trying to beat up an MMA fighter.

That being said, as cool as it was in 2009 and in 2011’s Infamous 2, I went into Infamous: Second Son hoping that with the added power of the Playstation 4, we’d see a new Infamous. I was looking for a game that would set the bar for future open world super powered sandbox games the way that the original Infamous did back in 2009.

Infamous: Second Son doesn’t set a new high bench mark, though. Despite still being a great game in its own right, a few poor design decisions and a lack of evolution in the formula prevent Second Son from surpassing its stellar immediate predecessor.

Second Son takes place seven years after the events of Infamous 2, and treats the good ending of that game as its canonical conclusion. To bring you up to speed, at the end of Infamous 2, a device was used to kill all who carried the superpower-conveying conduit gene in order to save the millions of people who didn’t. Or at least, that’s what we thought. Turns out, the device wasn’t quite as effective as advertised, as those with the conduit gene who were far enough away from the blast still survived.

Thus, the government created the Department of Unified Protection (DUP), an agency formed to hunt down and imprison people with the conduit gene so the world never has to see a repeat of the disasters at Empire City and New Marais in the previous games.

As far as connection to earlier Infamous titles, that’s pretty much as deep as it goes. The new protagonist of Second Son is Delsin Rowe, a brash and rebellious young man whose very first scene involves him vandalizing a billboard commemorating his big brothers’ promotion to sheriff. As you can probably tell, regardless of whether you choose to be good or evil, Delsin’s kind of a punk either way.

After a run-in with an escaped conduit — or “bio-terrorist,” as they’re popularly called now — Delsin learns that he’s essentially a conduit version of Mega Man. He has the ability to copy the power of any other super powered being that he comes into contact with. Naturally, this sets him on a collision course with the DUP, and after an encounter that I won’t spoil here, Delsin must set off for Seattle to confront the head of the DUP, Brooke Augustine, and steal her power in order to save someone close to him.

One of my favorite aspects of Infamous 2 was the bromance that emerged between Cole and Zeke, and I was happy to see a similar, albeit actual, brotherly relationship between Delsin and his big brother Reggie take the forefront in Second Son. The chemistry between the two is excellent, and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud funny exchanges between the two, especially in a particular scene in which Reggie decides to pretend to be a conduit in order to act as human bait.

Like prior Infamous games, the choice of good versus evil is at the core of the experience here. At key points in the story, the cutscene will pause and allow you to choose between an obviously heroic and obviously villainous choice. There’s no moral gray area here. You’ll either turn Delsin into a paragon of virtue, an irredeemable bastard, or a flip-flopping mess of a character who can’t quite decide whether he’s vengeful or righteous.

One has to wonder why Sucker Punch continues to offer players the choice of going back and forth between good and evil in story junctions, but then only rewards players who are consistent in their karmic alignment. Not only does it not make sense from a gameplay standpoint because the most powerful upgrades are locked until you max out your karmic alignment, but it also makes Delsin’s character suffer, since he becomes wishy-washy in non-choice related cutscenes.

Tonight at GDC, Sony held a press conference to show off their long-rumored Virtual Reality headset, now dubbed Project Morpheus.

Morpheus is a visor-style VR unit worn on the head, much like the Oculus Rift. It features inertial sensors built into the unit that couples with the PlayStation Camera to track head movement and orientation, allowing developers to rotate game worlds in real time. It also adds support for PlayStation in games that choose to implement it.

In addition to its video capabilities, Morpheus also incorporates a proprietary 3D audio technology developed by Sony that, according to the press release,

“Re-creates stereoscopic sounds heard from below and above the players, such as footsteps climbing up stairs below them, or engine noises of helicopters flying overhead. Sounds that players hear change in real-time depending on their head orientation, creating a highly realistic audio environment within an immersive 360-degree virtual world.”

Morpheus content will be available for PS4, and Sony says that a dedicated SDK for the unit is currently in development. While details are still a bit scarce on the unit, Sony did at least provide the specifications for the prototypes they’re showing off at GDC, although these are subject to change.

Component: Processor unit, head-mounted unit

Display Method: LCD

Panel Size: 5 inches

Panel Resolution: 1920xRGBx1080 (960xRGBx1080 per eye)

Field of View: 90 degrees

Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope

Connection interface: HDMI + USB

Function: 3D audio, Social Screen

We’ll keep an ear to the ground for more news about Morpheus. In the meantime, we’ll be pondering which games we most want to play in VR.

Uncharted writer Amy Hennig was not “forced out,” Naughty Dog says in a statement that calls reports of her departure unprofessional and upsetting.

On Tuesday, news broke that Hennig, the award-winning lead writer and director on Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, had parted ways with Naughty Dog. Parent company Sony confirmed the news, but would only say that Hennig “left” without providing a reason for her departure.

Citing “numerous trusted sources close to Naughty Dog,” IGN reported that Hennig was “forced out” by The Last of Us Creative Director Neil Druckmann and Game Director Bruce Straley. It’s that report that Naughty Dog has taken issue with.

Earlier this week we had to confirm the regrettable news that Amy Hennig has left Naughty Dog. She will be missed and, as we stated before, we appreciate the significant contributions that she has made to Naughty Dog and the industry in general. We wish her the best.

However, we feel it necessary to clear up a very important point that was unprofessionally misreported when the story broke. Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann were NOT involved in what transpired. It was very upsetting to us that dozens of stories were run, linking back to the same hurtful accusations in the original report. As co-presidents of Naughty Dog, we are responsible for all studio affairs.

Normally, we wouldn’t respond to rumors and speculation on matters that are internal to Naughty Dog, but because the personal reputation of two of our employees is being damaged we needed to set the record straight. There is nothing left to be said on this subject. Now we’re going back to what we should be focused on – making games.

Hennig herself has not commented on the circumstances of her departure.

Not to further fan the flames of speculation, but it’s worth nothing that Hennig retweeted an unrelated Tweet by Mitch Dyer yesterday, the IGN writer who reported she was “forced out” by Druckmann and Straley.

So let’s talk about Electronic Arts and Maxis’ surprise-not surprise decision to finally create an offline mode for SimCity, a game which should never have been released without one.

No, actually, let’s talk first about why it took so long for offline mode to happen.

The last several years, since at least 2010, have been defined by a curious arrogance in the gaming industry. Sony’s outright deception over the notorious Playstation Network hack comes to mind. So too does Microsoft’s decision to spend 2013 shoving its foot in and out of its mouth. But Electronic Arts has earned what may be the worst reputation in the business for numerous examples of imperious arrogance.

This behavior — and it’s almost too frequent to bother listing here — has never been as indefensibly dishonest as, say, Sony’s response to (and denial of) the PSN hack. But combined, it has given critics enough fodder that EA has the ignoble distinction of being crowned Consumerist’s worst company in America two years in a row. And much like for Microsoft, 2013 was a bad year on that reputation front. EA currently faces several investor lawsuits over the botched launch of Battlefield 4, and it’s almost certain that investor response to BF4′s launch was made possible thanks to the horrendous drubbing EA took over the positively disastrous launch of SimCity seven months earlier.

We don’t need to rehash just how terrible that launch was here, but I will point out that the simple explanation for this disaster seems to be that EA and developer Maxis made SimCity a multiplayer-only experience, with an always-online requirement which forced players to be in near constant communication with EA servers, and then apparently failed to allocate resources to handle the burden caused by so users trying to access the game at launch. This suggested a lack of proper planning of course, but also a disinterest in what actual SimCity players want.

Almost as soon as it became known it would be an always-online, multiplayer-only experience, fans were asking for EA to release an offline, single-player version of the SimCity. EA and developer Maxis rebuffed such requests, typically with content-free explanations for the decision, like repeating that the game was “designed from the ground up with multiplayer in mind,” and similar such pablum. When the game launched and the aforementioned disaster unfolded, those calls for single-player SimCity only increased.

Alas, EA and Maxis’ response was to double down. Throughout the year, we were told offline mode was impossible, most notably in March of 2013 by the official SimCity Twitter feed. Note that phrasing. EA and Maxis didn’t just use weasel language to avoid committing to an actual position, though they did just that from time to time. Their official spokespersons actually stated in clear, unambiguous language that such a feature just could not be instituted.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/the-simcity-reversal-is-our-ea-learning/feed/10PS Plus February Instant Game Collection Includes Payday 2, Outlasthttp://www.gamefront.com/ps-plus-feb-instant-game-collection-payday-2-outlast/
http://www.gamefront.com/ps-plus-feb-instant-game-collection-payday-2-outlast/#commentsFri, 31 Jan 2014 00:02:49 +0000Devin Connorshttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=262372Sony has taken the wraps off of its Instant Game Collection offerings for February, revealing one PS4 title, three PS3...

Sony has taken the wraps off of its Instant Game Collection offerings for February, revealing one PS4 title, three PS3 titles, and a pair of games for the PS Vita.

The PS4 title for the month is Outlast, a horror entry that kept Phil Hornshaw’s “blood racing and spine tingling,” all the way through. In the recent flood of horror games, Outlast shines. If you’re still on the PS3, or simply have both consoles hooked up because You’re Cool Like That, there’s a fantastic power trio waiting for you. Payday 2, Metro: Last Light, and Remember Me are all free for PS Plus PS3 users this month. Payday 2 alone makes PS Plus worth it, if you’re into the whole co-op shooter scene.

And on the portable side? PS Plus Participants on the Vita get Street Fighter X Tekken, and ModNation Racers: Road Trip. I can’t speak to ModNation Racers much, but SFxT should keep the fighter in you satiated for a spell.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/ps-plus-feb-instant-game-collection-payday-2-outlast/feed/2Sony Has A PlayStation Flash Sale Going Right Nowhttp://www.gamefront.com/sony-has-a-playstation-flash-sale-going-right-now/
http://www.gamefront.com/sony-has-a-playstation-flash-sale-going-right-now/#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 00:07:14 +0000Devin Connorshttp://www.gamefront.com/?p=262143Whether you’re still on the PS3, have moved onto the PS4, or you’ve gone mobile with the PS Vita, there’s...